Lets Get Started
by Smego Baggins
Summary: Hearing music can inspire some of the most significant moments in our life. And yes, I am aware that the title sucks.


Title: It's Only Natural  
Author: Smego Baggins  
Pairing: Hints of Nine/Rose  
Spoilers: None, really.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the teenagers. The song belongs to Hunters and Collectors and is called 'Throw Your Arms Around me'

Summary: A challenge fic that was on timeandchips by Canyontothesky, and this is my reply to it. Hearing music can inspire some of the most significant moments in our life.

Let's Get Started

"I'm just saying it's a date in the year that people seem to become more wanting and greedy with each other." Came a northern-accent insistently.

"Why do you have to turn a conversation that has the word 'magic' in it into such a pessimistic view?" A short blond replied, her hands stuffed firmly in her jackets pocket. Her voice gave the impression of her being annoyed, but her body language showed she was jesting with the lanky man besides her.

"I do not!" the Doctor replied huffily. "I was simply pointing out that Christmas makes you apes act like a bunch of Frawd at a buffet for the souls."

"Oh, that's a lovely comparison." Rose rolled her eyes. "Were being liken to a race of shape-shifting soul-sucker, and why does that sound like a plot from Harry Potter?"

"Because J.K. Rowling is actually a Frawd specialist, her way of warning the world I suppose."

They lapsed into a companionable silence walking down the street, the snow flakes starting to fall more heavily around them and the people on the street, setting the Cardiff Christmas that Rose had insisted they stop off for. Again.

It was still the year 2005 and they had dropped by Jackie's, dropped off presents and as a bonus the Doctor didn't get slapped once.

Rose suddenly sighed, and leaned her head back, her brown and pink stripped beanie covering most of her crown, her blond hair cascading down her back. Her cheeks were rosary and she looked to be having the tie of her life, no running from aliens who wanted them both dead.

The Doctor watched as she playfully stuck her tongue out, catching stray flakes for the simple pleasure that she _could_ do it. He knew that as he watched her, he had to be cautious of their relationship. That it didn't turn to something that they'd regret or a situation that could destroy them as friends. But he couldn't help noticing how lovely she looked when she carried out simple everyday tasks, seemingly oblivious to the grace of her movements when she stepped around him.

It was how she moved that caught his eye, a confident stride, but with a self-conscious and shy stance when meeting new people. A smile that spread all over her face, enhancing her curious features that were so open when they were alone, yet carefully, but never heavily, guarded from strangers.

He was known by his now scarce friends and acquaintances for picking rather attractive female companions and he knew that Rose wasn't an exception. She just stood there, head back and tongue out as far as it could go. She would have looked beautiful no matter what, whether the world was falling apart around them or if they were covered in the most disgusting slime imaginable. On the sweetest and warmest day, she simply made his hearts ache.

Then the spell was broken, when she opened her eyes, and looked at him, tongue back in her mouth but her face with a soft covering of flakes. She looked at him oddly, almost as if she had witnessed something incredible happen to him.

Slightly unnerved by her stare the Doctor raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"When we saved Jamie, and you were literally dancing around the console, you said something about me having a bike when I was twelve." A strange look came about her face, half-disbelief and confusion mixed with each other. "How did you know I had one?"

"Every kid has one at that age." He dismissed, and continued walking.

"But you knew it was red," she replied hurriedly, bouncing in front of him and preventing the Doctor from moving. Rose watched his eyes for anything, but after a few seconds he blinked and his blue irises fell downwards.

"I didn't know it was you, honestly." He grinned, as if re-living a very fond memory. "But you did look happy."

"Yeah, until three days later," Rose muttered.

"Pardon?"

"I crashed it!" She confessed, her brown eyes glittering with mischief and humour, her pink tongue playing with a tooth.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and made a mock scoff. "Last time I buy you anything then."

Her look was incredible. "I was twelve!"

"And that excuses the fact that you destroyed a present brought to you by Santa?"

"If you're Santa, than I'm the Easter Bunny." Rose retorted, thinking she had him beat.

"Funny looking rabbit." The Doctor came back lamely.

"Well, you don't look much like a Doctor either! And I'm serious!" Rose continued, a smirk beginning to form. "I mean, if I went around saying I was a Doctor just because I lobbed a sonic screwdriver at a random bystander, they'd put me away."

"And I'm confiscating the Monty Python DVDs when we get back." The Doctor clipped, a manic grin

"You will not!" Rose huffed, and pretended to snub him by walking ahead, nose pointed to the air. As she continued on, she handed five pounds to a few teenagers who were singing an old rock song from The Who.

As the last cords of the guitar faded, the two boys and girl started to play a slow song, one of the lanky and heavily clad teens winking at the Doctor as he begun a tune from an Australian band called Hunters and Collectors.

"I will come for you at night time

I will raise you from your sleep

I will kiss you in four places

I will go running along your street

I will squeeze the life out of you

You will make me laugh and make me cry

And we will never forget it

You will make me call your name

And I'll shout it to the blue summer sky"

A small crowd of people were listening to the three buskers, some of the older adults holding their young children's hands and gently waltzing as the youngsters balanced on their booted feet.

Rose had stopped and was standing there, a longing look on her face as she watched one young girl, who couldn't be older than 8 or 9 dancing with her dad, her green eyes shining with pure delight as her father held her, dancing a mock waltz slowly.

"I never thought of him much when I was little, but I sometimes think that during Christmas I missed him the most." She sighed softly, her breath coming out in white clouds.

"Did meeting him help?" the Doctor asked quietly.

"No," she replied, fighting back tears, her voice pitching with a subsided sob, "it makes me miss him more now."

**-0-0-**

He hadn't known that giving into Rose's request would lead to such turmoil within himself.

When the Doctor had discovered she had intended of saving her father, a black anger seeped into his mind; he'd been used, again, for the simple fact that he could make time and space appear before a person who was in awe but who could change a major occurrence in time for their own benefit.

It had been a simple black mood with others, but it had stung when Rose had betrayed his naive trust in her.

Only watching her now, he didn't wish that he could take it back, but he regretted the action of lecturing her in her old families flat, he only hoped that as they passed time it would hurt less for her.

"And we may never meet again

So shed your skin and let's get started

And you will throw your arms around me"

The Doctor now watched the young brunette giggle as her father did an Eskimo kiss, then continued to sing softly along with the known lyrics as well as the soft acoustic of the guitar.

Then he remembered that he and Rose had danced once, twice actually, to both styles of music, slow and upbeat tempo. She knew how to move while walking, so why couldn't she apply that to dancing.

He thought that he may not be able to curve her sadness as missing her dad, but he could help with making her enjoy her Christmas a little more.

Taking his cool hands out of his jacket, he silently patted Rose on the arm, a little nervous at her reaction to what he was about to do.

"Rose?"

His hand slowly reached out and then gently laced their fingers together.

A soft jolt of electricity ran up and down Rose's spine, a gentle and warm tingle that spread to every nerve ending and edge of her being. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she blinked at the long fingers, nails broken, chipped in places with skin that was rough with calluses and yet belonged to the most gentles hands she thought possible.

"I dreamed of you at night time

And I watched you in your sleep

I met you in high places

I touched your head and touched your feet"

It was funny, in a sense when she thought about it; they'd been through time and space for a while now, fought wits with aliens while in the most difficult situations, saved each other's lives time and time again. And still it was the simple act of holding his hand that managed to make her blank and her heart race.

Moistening her lips, Rose swallowed and looked up into the Doctor's dark blue eyes, not knowing what to say, she simply smiled and placed her other and on his arm, his other free hand now on her waist.

"So if you disappear out of view

You know I will never say goodbye

And though I try to forget it

You will make me call your name

And I'll shout it to the blue summer sky..."

He then gently began to sway his lithe form, guiding her in a dance that was both elegant, yet completely alien to her limited knowledge of dance movements. As she slowly grew confident and began to second-guess where his feet would be, a warm smile seemed to burn itself from within the Doctor, his leading hand gently squeezing Rose's half-frozen digits softly. In return she leaned in and laid her head against his chest, both hearing and feeling his duel-heartbeat speed up slightly.

"And we may never meet again...

So shed your skin and let's get started

And you will throw your arms around me

Yeah, you will throw your arms around me

Oh...yeah...

Ohhh yeah..."

Words weren't needed, nor would they covey the emotions and feelings of the two dancers. Gently stepping in each others movement as if one soul was extending to two bodies, in perfect motion. They gave themselves completely over to the moment, letting the music's rhythm and melody of the young teenagers voices of harmony lull them into an almost waking dream, the falling snow gently bouncing the streetlights reflection and bringing about a quietness that only snow seemed to bring.

"You will throw your arms around me...

Yeah, you will throw your arms around me...

Yeah, you will throw your arms around me

Yeah, you will throw your arms around me"

No matter where ever they were in the universe, time or even earth, as long as they could hold hands, travel in the TARDIS and dance everything would be alright.

Because they had found a piece of home with each other.

And as everything passed them, they would find ways to cope and even over come the grief they held separately from each other,

Later, as they quietly walked back towards the TARDIS, hand-in-hand, the Doctor slipped a fifty pound note into the young musician's gloved hand, winking in thanks for a good dance.

As they were about to cross a street, the Doctor happened to glance up towards the marbled sky, the snow fall slowing to barely nothing yet the clouds gently swirling around each other in embrace.

Rose noticed him stop and looked up, trying to follow his gaze. "No aliens about to destroy a perfect Christmas?"

He shook his head, and pointed up, with Rose's focused gaze following his finger.

"Just thought I'd show you that Santa just went over head, but you missed him."

Rose scoffed, "Santa's a legend to get kids to behave."

"Well, about that," the Doctor began, opening the TARDIS door and stepping inside, "did I tell you he actually …"

The End

Please review, and thanks to the people who do.

Later days.


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